Open Source Software: An Insight

Open Source Software

The thing which general people can share as well as modify because of its publically accessible design is called open source. The term Open source software is used for software that consists of a sourcecode and which anyone can enhance, inspect and modify.

The part of the software which is invisible to majority of computer users is called source code. It basically refers to a code which programmers can operate to alter how a software application or program actually works. Having access to source code, means that the programmer can make the program better via addition of different features.

Open Source Software: An ideal choice

There are many reasons because of which the general masses consider open source software for their computer related tasks. We have listed these reasons in the headings below

1. Excellent Control

The majority of people prefer the open source software because in this software they can enjoy a higher amount of control as compared to other types of software which are available in the market. As a user you can easily examine the code in order to ensure that the software does not indulge into any kind of activity which you do not want it to do. You can even utilize this software even if you are not a programmer. There are a variety of purposes for which open source software can be utilized.

2. Practice and Training

Many people like the open source software simply because through this software they can become better and professional programmers. The open source code is accessible to the general public which means that students can easily study the software as per their need.

The software also allows the students to share their working with other people for critique and comments. Similarly people also highlight the mistakes in the source code of the program. These people share the mistakes with other people so that same mistakes do not get repeated by other individuals.

3. High Security

Stability and security are some of the other reasons because of which people prefer the open source software. Since the software is accessible to everyone hence any one can examine it and correct the mistakes which the original authors failed to realize.

There are many programmers who can work on open source software’s piece without requesting for any kind of permission from the original developers. The programmers can upgrade the open source software much faster than propriety software.

4. High Stability

As mentioned already in the heading above, stability is one of the major reason because of which open source software is a common preference for the people. The open source software is ideal for projects which are long term in nature.

Since source code of open source software is publically distributed by the programmers hence the utilizers are very much sure that their tools would not get disappeared even if the original authors stop their working on them. The open source software operates and incorporates as per the open standards.

A Misconception

A general misconception that exists among the masses is that anything which is open source is free. Well this is misconception and majority of people do not know what open source actually implies. The fact of the matter is that open source software programmers can put a price tag on the software which they develop.

However there are some cases where an open source license can force the programmers to make their source code public especially when they sale the software to different people; hence some programmers find that asking money from the users for software support and services results in better profits. This means that though the software is free however the programmers make handsome amount of cash by assisting others in troubleshooting, installing and using the software.

Common Open Source Software

There are various open source software that are operating out there, the names of some of these software are as follows

Conclusion

There are several other aspects related to Open source software which we have not discussed in this discourse. We have avoided technicalities so that you may understand the basics with ease. We hope that you found this article helpful and full of knowledge. You can learn more about open source through different well-known websites and platforms available on the internet.